Sons of the Addicted

Oct 29, 2010 by Anonymous

Confessions of a Fractal Freak

I love a surprise. In the Spring of ’09 I was visiting a friend in Ridgway and he suggested we go see a local band at the Switchback Tavern called Fractalia. It’s not hard to get me to go anywhere there is beer, so I said ‘Sure’. It turned into one of the funnest, funkiest, rockinest throwdowns I’ve ever seen. In my mind’s eye, I can still see this skinny kid with kind of nerdy glasses in a tie-dye shredding his sunburst Les Paul. I was immediately impressed by his guitar chops which unapologetically revolved around flurries of Satriani-style shred technique, in between which he would calmly reach up with a finger to push his glasses back up his nose. It didn’t take the band long to get the house warmed up, and I could see that something really special was happening in this small-town bar. By the second set guitar/vocalist Stosch Dembitsky had his shirt off, dripping sweat, and the packed house was out of their minds. Josh Waller was stalking around the stage playing his bass like a weapon, while the drummer Bailey Vince was in the corner with a soaked bar towel over his head working away like a man possessed. Still, I’m getting kind of old these days, and this seemed more like music for youngsters, though I admired the talent and the passion these guys were putting into it. Then they busted out a wicked cover of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy… Sold. I crossed a line that night and haven’t looked back. That was the night that I became a Fractal Freak.

As it turned out Fractalia had just changed their name to Sons of the Addicted to avoid some copyright issues, and that night was their farewell party for Ridgway and their local fans (known as Fractal Freaks). I also found out that they were soon moving to Denver to have a go at the big city. I was moving to Denver about the same time, and after I downloaded their album and was able to hear the true depth of their music, sound and songwriting, I vowed to keep an eye on these guys.

Their first album was released in 2008 and is titled Fractal World. It plays like a variety pack that showcases the boys talent in writing creative and diverse songs that are not short on their own surprises. You will definitely hear some shred guitar in here, but also some latin rhythms and more exotic scales as well as shades of Jane’s Addiction, Rush, Incubus, quirky vocals in the vein of Tenacious D, with a lot of it admittedly inspired by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The album was recorded and produced in Paonia, CO by Dik Darnell on his Phantasma record label, so I called Dik to get his side of the story and to find out how he got involved with the Sons.

“My son saw them first. He worked for years for a record label after he got out of college and then went back and got his law degree and now works in entertainment and sports. He saw them play at a festival in Paonia. He said, ‘Dad you gotta hear these guys, the guitar player is really great and he’s kind of kooky.’ So I went and checked them out. I thought I saw so many elements… really unique writing style and very original.  I caught shades of Zappa and… Stosch has uniqueness and distinctly his own sound. He’s really got his own thing… he’s the real deal. I’ve been in music for 52 years of my life and I’ve worked with a lot of major artists through the years and you know I consider myself to have really good ears when I hear something unique and The Sons of the Addicted are at the top of my list for that.”

When I ask Stosch what the mission statement is for Sons of the Addicted he looks me dead in the eye and replies, “To heal the sweet Universe, man.” Then adds, “We’re entertainers and we just want to play awesome shows.” I ask them to wrap their music up and but a bow on it for me and things get difficult. Finally they call Bailey the drummer into the room because ‘he has an awesome vocabulary’. Bailey and bassist Josh sum it up, “It’s different. It rocks. It’s right in your face, but it won’t hurt you. We strive to be original… The vision I’m shooting for is to establish our own genre, and that name I don’t know.”

You can get their first album at  HYPERLINK “http://www.Sonsoftheaddicted.com” www.Sonsoftheaddicted.com or on itunes, or you can sample some of it at reverbnation.com. If you’re looking for a home run then you can start with I’ll Never Smoke Schwag Again which is a power ballad that I’m convinced should be the Colorado State Song and be sung before the Rockies games. If you are into reggae you can check out the title track Fractal World for some irie, almost militant sounding commentary on the chaotic world we live in. For their jazzier side check out the haunting and rhythmic Lucid or try Believe, which alternates between a churchy grunge and a sort of intense Steely Dan feel. If you are daring enough to be interested in their more metal side (drifting somewhere between Tool, Primus, or even Tenacious D), then I recommend you buy the whole album, you won’t be disappointed. The songs are a collaborative from the group that detail the angst of intelligent youngsters growing up on the rural western slope with little in the way of culture or art other than their own music. It’s a thoughtful and artful rebellion against the stifle of the status quo, with an eye toward the limitless possibilities of the future. Like a lot of new and unique sounds, some of it may be an acquired taste, but you will be the better for it. So dip a toe into their Fractal World, and if you like what you hear, dive on in for a swim.

(for booking info or to talk with Stosch about guitar lessons you can reach him @ 970-210-9841 They also asked to thank their families for their support and wanted me to mention that they were very polite.)